GRD Sponsors made it happen –

FREE riverfront admission in 2010 !

 As TV character Hannibal Smith of the series “A-Team” often said, “I love it when a plan comes together.”  

 Those same words were the first thing GRD co-chairmen Kerry Keller and JJ Koehler said when asked about the news that for the first time in memory, there will be no general admission fee to attend the GRD festivities in 2010.
“From day one when we took over GRD, we wanted to make it a free event”, commented Keller. “We experimented in 2009 with a free Saturday gate, and it went over well. The problem was that without ample sponsors it was very hard to get away from the 2 or 3 dollar button to help cover costs of the event.”
But in the overall plan of GRD, it was more than just asking for support from the community. “We had to build an event that was worthy of being sponsored,” added Koehler. “Better concerts, bigger carnival area, low ticket prices for the shows, and a ton of work to promote the sponsors that we did have, I think, have  led us to the point where GRD is finally back on track  as the community’s main summer festivity.” he concluded.

 In prior years, a small admission price was charged for persons to enter the Riverfront area to attend GRD. Thanks to many new sponsors and supporters of GRD, Keller said that he hopes the general admission price is a thing of the past. “GRD will still offer a limited edition collectors button, since there are people out there that still want them,” he added.

 This year at GRD, the only tickets sold will be for the concert series, to be held on July 29-31, 2010 at the West end of Riverfront Park. The 2010 music concert line up includes 9 music acts, to be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights of the event. Grammy winning Country Music artists The Kentucky Headhunters will close the GRD Concert series on Saturday evening.
“In all honesty, it was the sponsors and community support that make this possible,” said Keller. “Without that, not much could have changed, as it does cost a pretty good sum to put on the event.”  
But Koehler sees the changes to GRD a little differently. “This thing has been around for 51 years, and making big changes to an event like GRD takes time. Improving the event for attendees and sponsors alike is an ongoing mission. As excited as I am about 2010, I can already see even bigger things in store for 2011. It may be one step at a time, but with the support of the community, good things will continue to happen at GRD.”

Great River Days wishes to thank our presentation and major event sponsors, whose support has made this press release possible through their ongoing commitment to the community and to GRD. Please remember them when you consider a future purchasing decision.